About

ABOUT

Rita Dragonette is a writer who, after nearly thirty years telling the stories of others, has returned to her original creative path, with the publication of her debut novel, The Fourteenth of September (She Writes Press 9/2018).

A nationally known and award-winning expert in the fields of Public Relations and Marketing, she began her career at the global public relations agency, Edelman Worldwide, where she built her group into the agency’s largest and was recognized for her efforts by being named its youngest senior vice president. She then, in the early 1980s, co-founded Dragonette, Inc., one of the first agencies to offer integrated marketing services. The agency quickly became one of the top 15 independents nationally. Seeking access to an international platform, she negotiated the acquisition of Dragonette, Inc. by Grey Global Group (now part of WPP) in 1999, serving as president of its GCI Dragonette subsidiary and on the Global Executive Committee. In 2003, she took her strategic approach to the individual, founding Dragonette Career Strategies, a unique consultancy that helped CEOs and entrepreneurs with personal branding and career development. She closed that business in 2016, when she finished her novel, to devote herself to a full-time career as a writer.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Northern Illinois University and is the recipient of both the 2015 Distinguished Alumni and Outstanding Alumni Awards from its College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She earned a Certificate in Creative Writing (Novel) from the University of Chicago in 2008 and is the recipient of multiple writing residencies granted by the Ragdale Foundation.

She is currently working on three additional books: an homage to The Sun Also Rises, about expats chasing their last dreams in San Miguel de Allende, a World War II novel based upon her interest in the impact of war on and through women over the generations, and a memoir in essays. She lives and writes in Chicago, where she also hosts literary salons to showcase authors and their new books to avid readers.

Short version

Rita Dragonette is a writer who, after spending nearly thirty years telling the stories of others as an award-winning public relations executive, has returned to her original creative path. The Fourteenth of September, her debut novel (She Writes Press 9/2018), is based upon personal experiences on campus during the Vietnam War, and she is currently at work on three other books: an homage to The Sun Also Rises about expats chasing their last dream in San Miguel de Allende, a World War II novel based upon her interest in the impact of war on and through women, and a memoir in essays. She lives and writes in Chicago, where she also hosts literary salons to showcase authors and their new books to avid readers.